Friday, March 29, 2024

Chinese diplomatic slams UK newspaper for negative reporting on China Zambia relations

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The Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the UK has criticized British newspaper, the Financial Times for “misleading its readers” regarding the Chinese influence in Zambia.

The FT on October 8 published an article entitled “ TV tax stirs Zambian fears over Chinese debt-trap diplomacy” which touched on the alleged takeover of ZNBC by China.

In the same edition, the FT also published an article entitled “Beijing relations with Ghana raise the emotional heat” which gave a detailed account of Ghana’s Chinese loans.

But in a letter to the FT, Zeng Rong, Spokesman of the Chinese Embassy in the UK said the reports are pure fabrication.

“First, China has not caused a massive debt burden on African countries. From 2000 to 2016, China supplied $114.4bn in loans to African countries, which accounted for a mere 1.8 per cent of Africa’s total foreign debts,” Mr Zeng said.

“In Ghana’s GHC 213.9bn of foreign debts, China accounts for less than 1.5 per cent. Second, Chinese loans are mostly concessional, with long maturities and low interest rates.”

He said the Chinese loans are primarily aimed at facilitating the continent’s economic take-off and laying the groundwork for long-term development, rather than pursuing short-term hefty profits.

“Third, China is committed to economic co-operation and trade with developing countries including Africa in a mutually beneficial and win-win spirit,” he said.

Ms. Zeng said China provides assistance within its capabilities, and focuses on infrastructure projects and personnel training.

He said this helps enhance African countries’ capacity in self-development and sustainability.

“At the recent Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation, the participating African leaders pledged to further deepen co-operation with China in various fields to achieve common development, mutual benefit and win-win results.”

He added, “It is hoped that Financial Times would produce responsible and fair reports, rather than seeing things from behind tinted glasses and misleading your readers.”

65 COMMENTS

  1. This is just west propaganda to paint China black. The west feel left out on the African investment, they have depended to much on giving aid. China has brought something different and now they threatened.

    • The Chinese has audacity to respond in the UK but will not respond to media reports in Zambia. It shows you how much they don’t not care about local people as long as Edgar can entertain them. In essence, what we are against is Edgar Lungu giving work permits for Chinese to do work that Zambians can, e.g, shop cashiers. Otherwise we do need well planned Chinese investments that empowers the Zambian people

    • Chinese loans are predatory. They give loans fully knowing that you’ll default. It’s like I borrow $100,000 a security guard married to a very beautiful wife, knowing very well that he’ll fail to repay me. When he defaults, I say I want to shag his wife for the next 25 years until he repays the loan.

      That’s how Topstar grabbed DeadNBC, that’s how Sino-Hydro is grabbing Chesco. That’s how Avic is being given Silverest forest which has a tunnel entrance to State House (how f00lish can PF be?), NRDC & UNZA land etc.

      Vipuba vagulisa ziko ku tu ma Choncho-Lee.

    • Chinese loans are predatory. They give loans fully knowing that you’ll default. It’s like I borrow $100,000 a security guard married to a very beautiful wife, knowing very well that he’ll fail to repay me. When he defaults, I say I want to sleep with his wife for the next 25 years until he repays the loan.

      That’s how Topstar grabbed DeadNBC, that’s how Sino-Hydro is grabbing Chesco. That’s how Avic is being given Silverest forest which has a tunnel entrance to State House (how f00lish can PF be?), NRDC & UNZA land etc.

      Vi-puba vagulisa ziko ku tu ma Choncho-Lee.

    • I think Western Powers feel their grip on Africa is slowly slipping away hence the negative propaganda towards China. For a long time, Western Powers have convinced themselves that Africa has no other alternative but them. No matter how abuse they have been in this relationship. It is like an abusive husband who thinks his wife can never leave him. Well, it works for while until she does and finds someone else. And his only recourse at this point is to resort to turnishing her reputation and her new relationship. This is what is going on here.

      They seem surprised and angry that Africa can now go somewhere elsewhere for help. The DEPENDENCY SYNDROME they created and nurtured (through token AID) in Africa as a means of control is no longer holding. And in their mind the one to blame is…

    • Continue …

      China. I am sure the West never expected China to this big, this fast, and this financially influencial on the world stage. Especially on a turf they have always considered their playground…. Africa!

    • The problem is not that China is investing in Africa. In fact this investment when harnessed and managed correctly would benefit Africa.

      The problem is that our leaders are corrupt. Most of the contracts given to the Chinese are inflated, so that our leaders can skim off the top. Most of the loans obtained never really reach intended targets – they just disappear into foreign bank accounts of certain individuals.

      The Chinese know that Zambia will never repay these debts we owe them.

      We would like to know what action the Chinese will take when Zambia (and other African countries) default on these loans.

      That is the one million dollar question!

    • The hypocrisy of the British! They failed to build the requisite infrastructure in Northern Rhodesia from 1924 when Northern Rhodesia became a British Protectorate to 1964 when Zambia became independent, a period of 40 years. They built one secondary school, Munali, in the entire country and no university at all. It was therefore not surprising that there were only 100 graduates at independence. Even the rail line was constructed by the British South Africa Company, BSAC, not the colonial government. Copper played a pivotal role in the Allied war effort in World War II. Copper, exported in either blister or electrolytic form, was mainly used in the manufacture of brass cartridges (CHIPOLOPOLO) and canon shells. The greater portion of what was exported, however, was in the form of blister…

    • CONTD Additionally, thousands of miles of copper wiring was needed for the electrical systems in aircraft, tanks and warships, while copper tubing was essential for refrigeration units, plumbing and heat transfer devices. Apart from copper, the mines also supplied cobalt, whose main use in wartime was as an alloy in tools requiring high speed cutting steel. Early in the war, more than half of Britain’s copper imports came from North America, but by 1945, nearly 68 per cent of her supplies were Northern Rhodesian, making the territory by far its most important source of supply. Imagine the European Mine Workers Union (MWU) was told by the colonial government that the mines were supplying copper at a price far below the then current world price. It was only on the eve of Northern…

    • It was only on the eve of Northern Rhodesia’s independence that te British South Africa Company (BSAC), was forced to relinquish its mineral rights to the Zambian government. Northern Rhodesia, therefore, immensely contributed to the British war effort. It is, therefore, surprising that British newspapers have the cheek to question Zambia’s desire to develop its infrastructure through borrowing from China when all Britain did in its 40 years of colonial rule was to plunder Zambia’s mineral resources. ONE SECONDARY SCHOOL IN 40 YEARS. The Kariba Dam was funded by the World Bank and most of the infrastructure on the Copperbelt was done by the mines. I applaud the government’s infrastructure development programme but I dislike the idea of employing Chinese contractors because it means…

    • The Kariba Dam was funded by the World Bank and most of the infrastructure on the Copperbelt was done by the mines. I applaud the government’s infrastructure development programme but I dislike the idea of employing Chinese contractors because it means that the money is not staying in Zambia. Are the Ts and Cs for borrowing from China force us to use Chinese contractors?

    • AND THE DEADS BOUGHT INTO THE STORY GETTING MAD WHEN LUMUMBA WAS DENIED ENTRY INTO OUR LAND. THE NAIVITY OF THE UPNDEADS GOES WAY BELOW UNDER5s.
      The have their own fears.
      A whacking at the 2021 polls.
      China-Zambia relations surpasses the deads understanding. Double h is lost. He is losing weight.

    • Where is Zambia’s High Commissioner to the UK Muyeba Chikonde’s letter to the Financial Times? Or do we take it the Chinese ambassador has spoken for Zambia?

  2. UPND is desperate to tarnish the image of Zambia. Spaka and the likes of NE’Z you are forgetting that Zambians will reject you in 2021 for spreading this negative news on Zambia. (HH) and his nephew at Zambian Witch Doctor think Zambians will spark riots from this fake negative news. Mutinta Hichilema thinks Zambians can cause Armageddon for her husband to enter Plot 1. Zambians can read between the lines.
    We are smarter than that. You evil seeds are just shooting yourselves in the foot.

    • Very Childish post as usual from this guy calling himself kudos. Attain some maturity as you grow. There must be some progression.

    • Very Childish post as usual from this chap called kudos, there is no progression in his life, static, no movement towards maturity. I am PF

    • He is right to say UPND is shooting itself in the feet by always finding some one to blame. The truth is UPND plays a blame game all the time without offering alternative route which is not inspiring at all. UPND and HH only waits for something to happen and then they tell you that we told you. It is somehow archaic way of doing politics. People are not interested in reminders but giving them hope by expounding alternative theories. No wodner you are called under5

    • There is only one CHILDISH. The other one is Larry Mweetwa. The next one is HaSpakata. The next is a Nose Demon. The next is NEDCOZ Inferiority Complex. And I think you H-a aloso on this list. Great post Mr. Kudos.

  3. “In Ghana’s $213bn in foreign debts” …that’s more than five times Ghana’s GDP (and the poor grammar headline) makes me think this whole report is trash.Give us a more credible source so we can judge Zambia’s true debt trap.

  4. China wants Africa to develop yes, they have done more for Africa than western countries(people who enslaved us) , get kaloba from IMF nishi you will sweat till your back breaks to pay the loans. The problem is our leaders, instead of putting these monies in good use they enrich themselves why call for foreign investors when you can use the same monies and put up factories or rather industries that will build the economy.

    • Oh Brother! It seems you don’t even know how FDI and Foreign Loans work, do you? You seem to think that China, or any other Loaner Country, simply cuts a Check and Zambia decides what to do with the money, right? Wrong!

      Not even your local Bank gives out loans that way. Here is how it works: First, you have to identify the project or reason for the loan. And then go out and find someone willing to fund or lend you the money if you can’t afford it yourself. Terms are negotiated or imposed and that, my friend, is what is called a LOAN. And Chinese LOANS are given out the same way.

      On the other hand, Foreign Investors (or simply INVESTORS) identify preferred projects or area of interest on their own. And then they bring in their own money to do the job. Nonetheless, don’t expect…

    • Continue….

      INVESTORS to spend their money building a road somewhere in Kasempa or Lukulu. This where Govt loans from places like China come in. Because without good roads, without enough energy (electricity), extra, no factory stands a chance to be profitable and, as a result, no one would want to put up a factory in Lukulu or Kasempa. So Govt loans are critical in instances like this in order to build capacities in terns of supporting infrastructure for investments such as factories, of any sort, to succeed.

      In short, you need both Govt LOANS and FDI in order to accerate development.

    • The Financial Times is a private entity and these days it is owned by a Japanese company. It’s a mistake to insinuate that it speaks for Whitehall

    • When you look at it in reality, we should not be blaming China but our Zambian leaders. they do not speak the truth to us the zambian people. Everything is at an exaggerated price for the jobs done and loans taken. There is no accountability in all the government is doing with the borrowed monies. Our leaders are to blame.

  5. Where is Sharon with her broken record? You should stfp with your comparisons because you are not even aware of the tr.ash you spewing. 1. That famous chinese bridge costs less than KK1A,
    2. HH (could not care less about him and who you have the hots for) was never in power and yet he managed to get wealthy (so you say) with the privatization whatever. Somebody in power must have enabled him.

    • And they are starting from where Europeans left off, Europeans have rampaged and raped this continent before ,they know what they are talking about, we should use a thief to catch a thief.

    • @7 mungoni, Can you even EXPLAIN HOW THE CHINESE ARE MILKING AFRICA?? IN ZAMBIA’S CASE USE CHINESE MONEY TO EXPAND POWER GENERATION AND BUILD ROADS AND WESTERN MINING FIRMS USE ELECTRICITY GENERATED WITH HELP OF CHINESE MONEY TO MINE COPPER AND TRANSPORT IT ON ROADS FINANCED BY CHINESE and then CHEAT ON TAXES AND REFUSE TO PAY ECONOMIC ELECTRICITY TARIFFS?? Your reasoning is strange!!

  6. It is funny how the British have become enemies just because your bread is being buttered by Chinese who are reaping this country dry. An African is a difficult person. The only person who has your interest at heart is yourselves you.monkeys

  7. This is just superpower rivalry. Africa is like a beautiful maiden with so many suitors fighting over her. Only the more pragmatic man will win her like that Chief in Ole Soyinka’s The Lion and The Jewel.

    • Will you ever learn you Africans, you was in similar scenario during the cold war, at the end of all this both the Europeans and Chinese will gain something and your will remain a deflowered maiden again.

  8. ok UK pipo babufi sanna.They like umulomo .Ine kwena teti bombe nowaku UK. Amaricans are good pipo period but UK chaps like blaming others and they think they intelligent but UK has never discovered anything apart from associating themselves to USA coz of language.Stop even doing tuma ACCA which make them rich as if it’s the only qualification.Let us adopt american accounting system.

  9. The problem is lungu. He doesn’t understand financial discipline with no credible advisers. chanda. Kaizer .wisdom sikazwe. That is the flight crew

    The other problem in Zambia is u5. He chose a political reject as vice. He has no emotional stability. No advisers. Tribalist.

  10. So you believe what the Chinese diplomat had to say because that’s where the loans are coming, none of us here actually know what the terms of the loans are, if you think that the loans are given without terms then you have to go and get your head checked. You think the money from China is borrowed with out collateral then think again, question is what did you sh!thole govt put up for all these loans, I am sure this might come as a Surprise to most PF dunderheads

  11. It’s not like china is doing all these projects for free, we are paying for all these projects. Top Star shall perform the functions of the public signal distributor while ZNBC shall perform the Subscriber Management Services and content provision services.who do think will. be getting the subscriptions we will be paying to znbc?

  12. Africa paid much more the Chinese can ever offer to Europe and by extension IMF WB and all the tentacles of slavery that still benefited till this day. China’s loans and overtures can never drives us into slavery or colonialism

  13. And poor Africans are so happy when they receive hand outs which they will never repay without sleepless nights .When will you ever celebrate true independence ? China is colonizing you and you can’t see it because you idolize your thieving leaders who went into government with nothing and all of a sudden they have acquired so much wealth! You never question anything because of your dependency culture ! Shame on zambia !

    • @16 But that is not the fault of the Chinese!! The WEST WANT US, AFRICANS TO FIGHT THE CHINESE FOR THEM bcoz their propaganda and hatred against Africans has NOT stopped the Chinese to come to Africa to look for their interests!! THE WEST FEELS TO HAVE LOST OUT BCOZ WHEN THEY WERE BUSY IMPOVERISHING AFRICA, THE CHINESE ARE LOOKING AT CREATING AN ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL ENABLE AFRICA TO HAVE IMPROVED INCOMES AND BUY MORE OF CHINESE GOODS!!The Chinese have not forced any one to borrow or get their grants, Africans have been going there bcoz it is cheaper and faster than the “shylock” World Bank and IMF

  14. Africa paid much more to Europe and by extension IMF WB and to all the tentacles of slavery that still benefited till this day. China’s loans and overtures can never drives us into slavery or colonialism.

  15. Kainde and his British friends are failing to sleep over Chinese help to Zambia (or Africa)-WANYA CHIKAINDE CHINA IS HERE TO STAY!!!Nobody from UPND will cheat us about the Chinese goodwill.We all know China means well for Africa!!!Let Kainde and his tribal cadres such as Larry Mweetwa,Spaka,etc continue spreading lies abroad and we shall see if that will attract any votes to UPND in 2021.NOBODY TARNISHES THE NAME OF HIS HOME FOR NOTHING AND HOPE TO GAIN SUPPORT FROM FAMILY MEMBERS!!!The step taken by UPND of painting Zambia black everyday locally and abroad will cost HH dearly in 2021-mark my words!!!UPND SHOULD HAVE SPENT THIS ENERGY ON MARKETING THEMSELVES SERIOUSLY ACROSS ZAMBIA ON HOW THEY WOULD BE BETTER THAN PF IF VOTED.That is how FTJ Chiluba and Mr Sata defeated ruling parties-by…

  16. Zambians should know that Chinese loans are given at low interest rate because at least 70% of that loan would have gone back to China before we start paying back. They bring in general worker paid from the same money and one Chinese salary would pay more than 20 Zambians and their salaries paid to them in China, most of their food coming from China. They buy equipment cheap from China, and bring them in Zambia tax free, other materials such as buildings materials are bought from Chinese factories in Zambia, money banked in the Bank of China. Because bills of quantity are based on local prices, they recover part of their investment by supporting Chinese businesses in Zambia and in China from the same loan.
    To benefit more we need a deliberate policy not to bring labour from China,…

  17. Look,whether pro west or east..both of these are working for their own interest not yours!! Do not be fooled,they both report to one master…actually even wine and dine behind closed doors… planning on the next move. China has planned for this …for long.Their plan….now is bearing fruit.Power in their hands…what choice do you have ? If Zambia were smart,we should be using the loans wisely,that is..using their money to build economic power.You leaders a a fluke.Choose wisely!

  18. TO BE CANDID THIS CHINESE DIPLOMAT IS TRYING TO PROTECT THERE INTEREST. CZ LOOK WITH THEM CORRUPTION IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY.IN THE NAME OF HELPING AND THEY ENSLAVE US. PLEASE LET US B OBJECTIVE IN OUR ANALYSIS

  19. Mpemfu , u are a big *****, in fact that’s why Zambians are saying we don’t have serious opposition. You and your simple-minded so called are the most backward. He’ll is good for u guys.

  20. The Chinese give Zambia a low interest loan that comes from China Exim bank and the conditions of the loan are that you use a chinese company and that chinese company employs chinese workers. It is only in Tanzania where imigration laws are strong, the Chinese can not bring their people. The Chinese say africans are lazy that is why they prefer their own.

  21. Petros, Zambians need to stop voting for now and maybe given civic lessons about voting and how it affects their future. The opposition spoke their hearts out during 2016 campaign, but alas the people made poor choice based on a song, and nothing of substance. You Zambians don’t listen even if Jesus came to warn you, you won’t listen as you’re too stuck up on your thinking

  22. The problem is Chinese gives you the loan, in turn they bring their own Chinese labor force whom I may say are also highly paid. At the end the money is back in china through salaries and benefits, and Zambia is stuck with the loan, this is no win-win situation. China give loan to Zambia, the same contract are won by the Chines companies. Do we all see the problem here. they give you LOAN to build bridges, The Chinese at the same time will contract for construction.

    • DR ATI, you sem to be writing your posting from Mars. The problem with Africans themselves is that we like fighting wars that are not ours the result is that we win NOTHING. (West-China wars are not ours). Yes the number of Chinese expartrates may be high but when you look at the skills levels in our country in particular and Africa in general its a big problem. Hence you have to have skills to complete the projects on time. There is a large number of technology transfer going on in Africa in general. Local companies have no capital, No equipment etc how do they build a bridge? So let us be realistic. Our “exparts” who went to America etc ended up working in pubs washing beer glasses and old age homes what skills do they bring back to Africa?

  23. People are so used to potholes and dilapidation that they have to complain everyday about the Chinese who are restoring the country to its former self and better for that matter.
    Look at the KKIA and SMKIA in ndola, eyesores. That group of people that used to complain if they will be eating roads, where are they and their potholes in their domain?

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